Some Basic Do’s And Don’ts When Stopped For DUI

When you are stopped for dui, which is drunk under the influence of alcohol, you must follow some basic do’s and don’ts thoroughly else you may push yourself into serious legal trouble. Because of the rapidly rising incidents of dui in the United States of America, almost every state has now enacted strict dui laws. However, just because you are stopped under the suspicion of dui, it does not mean that you are definitely going to be arrested. There is a set legal procedure that the traffic officials have to follow in such cases. The laws have provided you certain legal rights in this regard, which you must be well aware of. Following is a brief rundown on some of the basic do’s and don’ts that you must follow to avoid further troubles.

Documents Related T Your Vehicle

When you are stopped for dui, you are very much likely to be asked to show your driver’s license and other related documents, such as insurance policy and registration card. Make those documents readily available. If you have already missed those documents at home, you are into trouble. That is the reason why it is always advised to check whether you have these documents available in your vehicle before you drive. Besides that, you also need to make sure that your car is in good condition.

Field Sobriety Test

It is also important to note that submitting to the field sobriety test is legally mandatory for you when you are stopped for dui. Refusal to take the BAC (blood alcohol concentration) level test is considered as a serious criminal offence, which usually results in suspension of your driving license and other penalties, which may include monetary fines. These penalties are additional, which means even if you do not get convicted and the court dismisses all dui charges against you, the penalties for the refusal of field sobriety test will still be applicable.

Show Good Behavior

Even if you are 100% sure that you have not committed any dui offence, you must co-operate. Avoid any arguments with the traffic officials. Be courteous, calm and very polite while you are talking to them.

Double Check The BAC Level

If you are not drunk and the BAC level test when you are stopped for dui still shows a negative result, you have the legal right to challenge the result of the test. You can visit a nearby doctor’s clinic or hospital and take a fresh BAC test in order to see if the laboratory results are consistent with the result of the BAC test conducted by the traffic officials.

Answer Only Basic Questions

You have to be very careful while you are answering to the questions asked by the police. Answer only basic questions, such as about your name and address. It is very important for you to keep in mind that your answers might be used by the officials against you. If you are having trouble in answering some specific questions, you have the right not to answer those questions at the first place. You can instead let the officials know that you want a lawyer to represent you.

Do Not Argue

When you are stopped for dui, you should never fall into an argument with the officials, as it will only make things worse for you. Your arguments will give some solid reasons to the officials to arrest you or to place harsher charges against you.

Last, but not the least, it is better to remain silent than to tell a lie. Providing wrong or manipulated information when you are stopped for dui is a serious offence.